Viewing Object

Object Description

Object Name

Oral History

Object ID

SR-269

Title

Alice Johnson's oral history interview conducted by Warren Sommer on 28 Aug., 9 Oct., and 16 Oct. 2013.

Extent

86 WAV files, 3 original CDs, 5 research CDs, and 5 preservation CDs.

Date

28 Aug., 9 Oct., 16 Oct. 2013.

Description

SR-269 is a recording of an interview with Alice Johnson, conducted by Warren Sommer.

Alice Johnson (1933-) is a lifelong Willoughby resident. She is an avid volunteer and a member of multiple groups and societies, including the Willoughby Community Hall and Willoughby School Committees, the Township’s Heritage Advisory Committee, Langley Heritage Society, Douglas Day Committee, Pitch-In B.C., and the Langley Centennial Museum History Group. In 1992, she began the Willoughby Women’s Community Institute. She is secretary of the Willoughby Community Hall Society, and has been since 1992. She was also chairperson for the restoration of the original Willoughby Elementary School, which was slated for demolition but has been preserved as a heritage building. Johnson was awarded the Eric Flowerdew Volunteer Award in 2017 for her volunteer efforts.

SR-269.1
Track 1 – Warren introduces himself and Alice.
Track 2 – Alice explains her full name and where she was born.
Track 3 – Alice talks about midwives in Langley.
Track 4 – Warren asks Alice to talk about her parents; she begins with her father.
Track 5 – Warren asks Alice about her mother.
Track 6 – Warren asks whether Alice knew what compelled her mother to come to Canada.
Track 7 – Alice explains her father’s time in the Prairies before coming to Langley.
Track 8 – Alice talks about her brother and uncle making money in the Prairies and establishing themselves in Willoughby.
Track 9 – Alice discusses how her parents met, and what transit between rural Langley and Vancouver was like in the 1920s.
Track 10 – Alice talks about her adopted brother Brian, and what it was like to be an only child until the age of fifteen.
Track 11 – Alice talks about visiting England and Sweden.
Track 12 – Warren tries to imagine what Alice’s parents were like, and she explains their relationship and demeanours.
Track 13 – Warren asks about language and accents in Willoughby, particularly in regards to Swedish.
Track 14 – Warren asks Alice about transportation around Willoughby.
Track 15 – Warren asks Alice about the construction of her parent’s house on 80th Avenue.
Track 16 – Alice talks about growing up in Willoughby without a lot of children around.
Track 17 – Alice talks about her parent’s property and growing up during the Depression and World War II.
Track 18 – Alice gives Warren a sense of her family’s twenty acre property.
Track 19 – Alice talks about how wooded Willoughby was, and its proximity to other communities.
Track 20 – Alice describes the outbuildings on her family’s farm.
Track 21 – Alice describes the cows and other animals they kept on their farm.
Track 22 – Alice describes the “kitchen garden” on their property and what kinds of vegetables and fruit they grew there.
Track 23 – Alice talks about their small orchard and diseases the fruit trees were prone to.
Track 24 – Alice and Warren talk about farming institutes and lectures, and her father attending the meetings of the Fraser Valley Milk Producers.
Track 25 – Alice talks about the saw mill that was across 80th Avenue on the south side, by 202A Street.
Track 26 – Warren asks Alice about the Scandinavian families connecting, and Willoughby Hall.
Track 27 – Alice talks about her parents’ religious backgrounds.
Track 28 – Warren asks Alice about religious denominations active in Willoughby.

SR 269.2
Track 1 – Interviewer, Warren Sommer, introduces interviewee, Alice Johnson. Alice talks about getting to and from school in her elementary years.
Track 2 – Alice discusses acceptable clothing for girls and boys in elementary school.
Track 3 – Alice talks about the Willoughby School building and the grounds where they could play. Also discusses her classes and teacher at Willoughby School.
Track 4 – Alice discusses going onto high school at West Langley School, talks about the teachers she remembers, the classrooms and taking the bus.
Track 5 – Alice compares the playground at Willoughby School to the playground at West Langley. Alice also discusses different games and activities the kids would play.
Track 6 – Alice talks about extracurricular activities and C.G.I.T. being held after school hours.
Track 7 – Alice discusses C.G.I.T. further and other activities she participated in growing up. Briefly talks about the Boy and Girl Scouts.
Track 8 – Alice discusses her career plans to be a missionary as a child.
Track 9 – Alice talks about her involvement in the garden club. Alice also discusses her parent’s involvement and supportiveness in her activities.
Track 10 – Alice discusses shopping at Woodward’s in Vancouver, and Campbell’s in Willoughby. Alice also mentions the fish and grocery truck that came around, as well as her family’s cold storage locker.
Track 11 – Alice discusses the Campbell’s Store and the different people who ran it. Briefly mentions Willoughby Singer and his daughter, Joan.
Track 12 – Alice tells the story of Bryan dressing as a fox one Hallowe'en. Also discusses trick-or-treating and selling and collecting UNICEF tickets for a prize. Also talks about the Hallowe'en party held in the community hall.
Track 13 – Alice talks about rations during WWII and elaborates further on trick-or-treating on Hallowe'en.
Track 14 – Alice talks about getting ice cream and treats as a child. Also mentions getting an allowance.
Track 15 – Alice discusses Gus’s Garage as well as Nish’s Garage. Also talks about the Nish family.
Track 16 – Alice discusses the fire department, and tells about how they used their chicken coops for practice for putting fires out. Lists the names of firemen she remembers.

SR 269.3
Track 1 – Alice talks about informal recreational activities like swimming. Says she never swam growing up, and still does not.
Track 2 – Alice talks about different events at Willoughby Hall.
Track 3 – Alice talks about Scottish traditions, like Burns day, and what that entailed for her and her family growing up.
Track 4 – Alice discusses the renovations currently underway on the Willoughby Hall, and the improvements being made. Also discusses the legal difficulties they have experienced.
Track 5 – Alice talks about the Irish Cultural Centre and different opinions from the community about it. Also discusses funding for the Willoughby Hall.
Track 6 – Alice discusses her family outings growing up, or lack thereof. Talks about her lack of familial connections because her parents were immigrants. Discusses going to Bowen Island with her church.
Track 7 – Alice discusses the feeling of safety and security in Willoughby growing up.
Track 8 – Alice talks about listening to the radio in her home. Also discusses getting the Province newspaper.
Track 9 – Alice talks about travelling within the municipality. Mentions her knowledge of Fort Langley’s bad reputation.
Track 10 – Alice discusses the May Day fair and her family’s involvement. Also discusses other fall fair activities.
Track 11 – Alice talks about her parent’s social life together.
Track 12 – Alice discusses funerals growing up and children’s education regarding death.
Track 13 – Alice talks about discussing politics in her home, specifically provincial elections and voting. Also discusses the left-wing activists in Willoughby and their influence on the community.
Track 14 – Alice discusses taking the bus to school, and mentions having First Nations boys staying with her family.
Track 15 – Alice discusses having the First Nations boys in her home growing up. Elaborates on reasons for their stay and what they went on to do after their stay.
Track 16 – Alice talks about the new Langley High School building and the male to female rations throughout her high school years.
Track 17 – Alice talks about her favourite school subjects and her participation in sports.
Track 18 – Alice talks more about the First Nations boys and the mischief they got into. Talks about the rarity of liquor and underage consumption. Also mentions her involvement in I.S.C.F.

SR-269.4
Track 1 – Alice discusses her homemade clothing growing up, and the lack of interest her and her friends had in fashion and celebrity gossip in high school.
Track 2 – Alice discusses their mail delivery man. Also discusses shopping at Fuller’s Meat Market and her mother canning Sardines.
Track 3 – Alice talks about Saturday nights at the movies or with her parents at the Willoughby Hall.
Track 4 – Alice talks about Christmas growing up; discusses dinner, decorations, gifts and their English traditions.
Track 5 – Alice discusses her mother’s English family and heritage.
Track 6 – Alice talks patriotism towards the British Empire, and her memories of when the King and Queen came to visit.
Track 7 – Alice talks about memories of WWII and holding Remembrance Day ceremonies in school.
Track 8 – Alice discusses WWII and the effects that had within her home, like rationing and black-outs.
Track 9 – Alice talks about the effects WWII had on Willoughby and the different men who served overseas. Also mentions learning about the war in school.
Track 10 – Alice talks about the material and prosperity increase after the war, as well as the opportunities for high school graduates. Talks specifically about jobs opportunities for women.
Track 11 – Alice discusses jobs that some of her friends went into. Also discusses her family acquiring new appliances like a fridge and T.V.
Track 12 – Alice discusses her post-secondary education at Pitman Business College, and her first job at Ramsey and International Paints as a secretary.

SR 269.5
Track 1 – Alice talks about switching to work at Christian Education Office and her work there. She also talks of her involvement in Young Peoples.
Track 2 – Alice discusses her trip to Sweden and England, and then the death of her father when she returned home.
Track 3 – Alice talks about working at the University of British Columbia, and the different positions she had there. Also talks about getting involved in the Women’s Institute.
Track 4 – Alice discusses her involvement in the Women’s Institute and what it did and the different aspects of the W.I.
Track 5 – Alice discusses the fundraisers she participated in for different people and places in the community.
Track 6 – Alice discusses the Women’s Institute moving locations which led to the creation of the Women’s Community Institute of the Pacific Region, and the role it ended up playing in the changing community.
Track 7 – Alice talks about her involvement with the Willoughby School and the prevention of its demolition.
Track 8 – Alice talks about her involvement with the renovations of Willoughby Hall, and the complications they have faced with that project.
Track 9 – Alice discusses being a part of the Community Hall Society and the improvements being made on the Willoughby Hall.
Track 10 – Alice talks about being a member of the Heritage Advisory Committee. Also talks about the pioneers and the enjoyment of working with them.
Track 11 – Alice gives her opinion on the urbanization of the municipality.
Track 12 – Alice talks of the improvements she has seen over the last 50 years in the municipality.

People/Subject

Canadian Girls In Training

United Church girls group in 1950s.

Christmas

Johnson, Alice

Alice Johnson (1933-) is the daughter of Margaret Sophia and Eskil Kilian Johnson of the Willoughby area of Langley. She is a lifelong Willoughby resident. She is also an avid volunteer and a member of multiple groups and societies, including the Willoughby Community Hall and Willoughby School Committees, the Township’s Heritage Advisory Committee, Langley Heritage Society, Douglas Day Committee, Pitch-In B.C., and the Langley Centennial Museum's History Group. In 1992, she began the Willoughby Women’s Community Institute. She is secretary of the Willoughby Community Hall Society, and has been since 1992. She was also chairperson for the restoration of the original Willoughby Elementary School, which was slated for demolition but has been preserved as a heritage building. Johnson was awarded the Eric Flowerdew Volunteer Award in 2017 for her volunteer efforts. At Douglas Day on November 19, 2019, Alice Johnson was given the Freedom of the Township.

May Day celebrations

Fort Langley established its May Day in 1922, and it continues to be an annual tradition (2003). In Langley, May Day refers to the 24 of May, the date of the birth of Queen Victoria. The first May Day was held in Fort Langley, then the event moved to Langley Prairie from 1923-1957. In 1958 the Langley Kinsmen gave up the event, and it returned to Fort Langley where it was organized by the Community Improvement Society and the Fort Langley Lions club, and finally a community committee. May Day celebrations include the crowning of the May Queen and the May pole dancing.

Superbase See Also: May Day Celebrations - Langley Prairie
Term Source: Warren Sommer's "From Prairie to City", p. 154.

Native Peoples of North America

Tom Campbell's Store

8275 208 Street
Built in the 1940's

This building, now used exclusively as a house, was built as a store in the late 1940's. It was operated by the Campbells. A previous store stood across the road on the southeast corner of 83 Avenue and 208 Street, facing west. The Hill family bought the store and knocked it down. The store's last owners were the Bonnys. After Mr. Bonny died, his widow married Mr. Tom Campbell and opened a new store with him.

Township of Langley. Heritage Advisory Committee.

The Township of Langley, B.C., comprising Langley, Fort Langley, Murrayville, Langley Prairie, Derby, Milner, Aldergrove, Otter, Salmon River Uplands, and Glen Valley, was incorporated in 1873.

West Langley Elementary School

West Langley School started out as a one-room school at 208 Street and 96 Avenue. More classrooms and other rooms were added to the school at various times including 1924, 1948, 1957 and throughout the 1950s and 60s. A fire destroyed the building in 1978. A new building was erected in 1981 at 9403 - 212 Street.

Willoughby

Willoughby Hall

Earliest mention of Willoughby School goes back to 1921 when classes were held in the original Willoughby Community Hall at the corner of 83rd Ave. and 208 St. known in those days as the corner of Scholes Rd. and Alexander Rd. For three years students in every grade were accommodated in the hall but in 1924 that arrangement was closed and the children in this area for the next 7 years went to either Milner or West Langley schools.

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Argus v4.4.2.32 - Langley Centennial Museum